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PATRIOTS SEASON PREVIEW

There has been a significant amount of discussion and
speculation concerning the Patriots’ chances of making another run at an
undefeated season after the many key off-season acquisitions that they made
following their Super Bowl winning season.With the season opener now upon us, let’s take a look at the Patriots
2017 schedule and highlight some key games and issues to watch.

Divisional
Games

Although the Patriots have dominated the AFC East since
the turn of the century, they usually have some tough contests against their divisional
rivals. In the past it has not been
unusual for the Patriots to have one or two losses within the division, usually
coming either in New York or Miami, where Tom Brady’s struggles are well
documented. Last season it was Buffalo
who came into Foxborough and knocked off a Patriot team quarterbacked by Jacoby
Brissett, who was playing with a banged up thumb.

While strange things can and do happen in division
games, the Bills, Jets and Dolphins are not expected to be any match for the
Pats in 2017. Any hopes the Dolphins may
have had this season were dashed when Ryan Tannehill was lost for the season
with a knee injury. The Bills and Jets
have by all observations already tanked it in the best tradition of the Philadelphia
76ers. Expect six wins out of this
group.

Quality
quarterbacks.

The Patriots were fortunate in 2016 to face only a
handful of proven NFL quarterbacks. Among
the less than elite signal callers that made starts against the Patriots last
season were Brock Ostweiler (Texans), Cody Kessler (Browns), Colin Kaepernick
(49ers), Landry Jones (Steelers) and Jared Goff (Rams). This season the Patriots will face Drew Brees
in New Orleans in Week 2, a Super Bowl rematch with Matt Ryan and the Falcons
in Week 7, followed by Philip Rivers and the now Los Angeles Chargers to close
out the first half of the season in Week 8.
In the second half the Patriots will face emerging star Derek Carr
(Raiders) in Mexico City (more on that later), and grizzled veteran Ben Roethlisberger
in Pittsburgh in Week 15.

The Patriots bolstered their defense in the secondary
with the off-season acquisition of free agent corner back Stephon Gilmore. But with many question marks in the front seven,
the Patriots may have difficulties putting pressure on the quarterback this
season. Giving quality passers time to
throw is usually not a formula for success.

Scheduling
quirks.

The Patriots will also face a pair of athletic, mobile quarterbacks back-to-back in Cam Newton (Panthers) and Jameis
Winston (Buccaneers) back-to-backin Weeks 4 and 5.The Buccaneers game will be particularly interesting in that it will be
a Thursday night game on the road.Thursday
night tilts are normally divisional games, which makes it somewhat easier to
make a quick turnaround against a familiar opponent.The Patriots have also been fortunate over
the past few seasons to have the Thursday night game at home, but this year
they will have to travel to Tampa on an extremely short week.The mobile quarterbacks and short turnaround will
be an early season challenge.

The most interesting and potentially challenging part
of the season will undoubtedly come after the Bye Week when the Patriots travel
to Denver, always a house of horrors for the Pats, followed by a trip to Mexico
City and a date with the Oakland Raiders.
The Raiders were seen as a legitimate challenge to the Patriots for the
AFC Championship last season before Carr was lost to a knee injury in Week
15. There is no reason to suspect Oakland
will not return to be an elite team again this season. Back to back games in high altitude will also
be a test for the Pats.

After the Raiders game in Mexico, the Patriots return
to Foxborough for just a single game against the Dolphins, followed by three more
road games in Buffalo, Miami (on a Monday night) and Pittsburgh. Five road games in six weeks, traveling
internationally and crisscrossing between multiple time zones and changing
climates in November and December, will be a mental test even for the laser-focused
Patriots.

Prediction

The Patriots are clearly the class of the NFL, and the
team everyone is trying to catch. An
undefeated season is probably not a realistic expectation, but there is no
reason not to think the Patriots will once again roll through the regular
season with 13 wins or better and earn a number one seed in the playoffs. Barring injuries, anything less than a return to the Super Bowl
will be a failed season for the 2017 Patriots.

Brissett
Trade

I have many thoughts on the future of the Patriots
quarterback situation after the trade of Jacoby Brissett to the Colts. If you’re interested in hearing them, tune
into to the next Boston Sports on Tap podcast.
I’ll be joining the guys to talk all things Patriots after the season
opener with the Chiefs, and hopefully work in some Red Sox talk as well.

Questions, comments, or ideas for the weekly podcast? Send
to @BostonSportsTap or @BSoTPodcast and use #AskOnTap.